Energy and EnvironmentNational Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) is a member of Ministry of Science and Technology. NSTDA has four affiliate National Research Centers and one dedicated to Technology Management. All are focused on building Thailand’s S&amp;T capacities where research becomes the foundation for Thailand’s future growth and prosperityhttp://www.nstda.or.th
Tue, 03 Mar 2015 22:33:53 +0000Joomla! 1.5 - Open Source Content Managementen-gb Development of oil palm elite line and mass propagation technologyhttp://www.nstda.or.th/eng/index.php/research/energy-and-environment/item/578-oil-palm-elite-line
http://www.nstda.or.th/eng/index.php/research/energy-and-environment/item/578-oil-palm-elite-line

Palm oil is now the largest source of edible oil in the world, and cultivation of oil palm has expanded enormously in recent years, with worldwide yearly increases in demand being driven by dietary and biofuel applications. Oil palm cultivation in Thailand faced with problems of quality seedlings that can provide high yield and be grown in northern and northeastern regions, where rainfall is relatively limited. Crop improvement of oil palm is proved to be challenging, as it is a perennial crop species with a long breeding cycle.

With funding from the Agricultural Research Development Agency (Public Organization), or ARDA, researchers teamed up to develop oil palm elite lines well adapted to climates of various regions of Thailand. Several elite lines have been achieved using biomarkers in the selection process of Tenera, a hybrid of a thick-shell Dura and a shell-less Pisifera. These elite lines have been tested in research stations in the north (Nan province), the northeast (Khon Kaen, Sisaket and Nong Khai provinces), and the south (Krabi and Narathiwat provinces) of Thailand. The productivity is approximately 5 tons/rai (31.25 tons/ha), with an average oil yield of 25%, and bearing 15-20 fruit bunches annually. It can survive drought up to 90 days. Its slow vertical growth of 40-50 cm/year makes it easy for harvesting.

Apart from developing an elite line, a somatic seed production method has also been developed to efficiently propagate oil palm. Researchers were able to develop a process to accelerate the generation of somatic embryos using inflorescences as the explant source to prevent parental tree damage. This provides cost-effectiveness and reduces somaclonal variation of mass propagation of oil palm elite lines. The method has been filed for PCT patent by ARDA in 2011.

Production of elite Tenera seedlings started in 2012 at Kasetsart University and was released to interested farmers starting in October 2013. ARDA expected to release a total of 100,000 seedlings.

This research was conducted collaboratively between Genome Institute, Kasetsart University, Prince of Songkla University, Department of Agriculture and Golden Tenera Co., Ltd. and was financed largely by ARDA.

High quality biodiesel from jatropha (a nonfood source) by way of the partial hydrogenation technique is goal of the joint collaboration between Thailand and Japan. Key collaborators in this project are MTEC/NSTDA & TISTR(Ministry of Science and Technology), KMUTNB of Thailand and AIST & Waseda University of Japan. The highly efficient biodiesel production process is desired to warrant commercial use with long term sustainability.

MTEC has an important role in the testing process where 10% of this high quality biodiesel is mixed with regular diesel; this is known as B10. The testing will be done in a light duty vehicle for 50,000 kilometers of various terrains. This includes city driving and long distance driving. Any problems identified during the test drives will be collected and solutions sought. In parallel, separate tests will also be performed on the engine parts at MTEC laboratory for 500 hours.

The engine wear and tear, residues generated and fuel consumption will be periodically monitored and evaluated among testing partners including Tripetch Isuzu and PTT. In addition, the engine wear and tear from contaminated metals from the lubricant will also be analyzed. Engine parts and materials that interface with the fuel liquid will be monitored for effectiveness and appropriateness after the driving test to assess the impact. The data collected will valuably assist the research team for commercial viability of using this high quality biodiesel in the future.

As a country close to the equator, Thailand receives an annual solar radiation of 18.2 MJ/m2-day or 5 kWh/m2-day on average, higher than those in Japan and Germany where solar energy has been strongly supported as an alternative energy by their governments.

Since outdoors conditions of installed location greatly influence the output energy and durability of the photovoltaic (PV) modules as well as the components in the PV systems, it is important to examine actual performance and long-term reliability of the PV system operated under Thailand's high irradiance, high temperature, and high humidity climate.

The National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC) and TABUCHI ELECTRIC Co., Ltd. jointly conduct a research project to evaluate long-term performance of various PV technologies and power conditioner. In addition to the R&D aspect, this project also aims to establish an informative photovoltaic learning place in the Thailand Science Park.

The 10 kW PV system comprises five types of solar cells (at 2 kW each). They are 1) monocrystalline silicon (heterojunction), 2) multicrystalline silicon, 3) double junction thin film amorphous/microcrystalline silicon, 4) double junction thin film amorphous/polycrystalline silicon, and 5) thin film copper indium diselenide (CIS). These modules are installed at the Sirindhorn Science Home in Thailand Science Park, Pathumthani province. The grid-connected 10 kW power conditioner used in this system is an unique string type DC/DC converter combined with an inverter developed by TABUCHI ELECTRIC. The TV display screen shows real time, daily, monthly and yearly data of the system and also provides information of the modules used in this project.

Benefits expected from this evaluation project between NECTEC and TABUCHI include1. For PV users – in their selection of PV technology2. For PV module and component manufacturers – in their product quality improvement3. For Standard Testing Institutes – in their improvement of PV testing in tropical climate conditions4. For visitors – in their better understanding of solar cells

Solar energy is eco-friendly renewable energy that will help reduce fossil fuels dependence. Several solar cell types and technologies are available in the market today. Many claim their efficiency through performance benchmarks using global or European standards. However, under the hot, humid, rainy and, at times, dusty climate of Thailand, it is essential that we choose the most appropriate solar cell type and technology for the most efficient electricity generation.

In general, MW scale projects will take approximately 6-7 years before breaking even. For a small home, the payback will require a long period of over 10 years. The promised lifetime of these solar panels is 20-25 years. The number is based on testing done at about 25 degree Celsius, while the actual temperature to which PV modules in Thailand are exposed is around 50-55 degrees Celsius; thus reduced efficiency of electricity generation.

In Thailand, most areas received maximum solar radiation during the months of April and May. On average, though the Northeastern and parts of the Central regions receive the most sun radiation, nationwide, an average sun radiation received is sufficient to use solar technology. Up until 2011, Thailand has installed 100,691.173 kilowatts of electric solar systems.

A group of researchers from Thailand investigated the combined effect of adsorption and oxidation for phenolic wastewater treatment using a three phase fluidized bed reactor. The group continuously fed aqueous solutions containing phenol and ozone into a reactor resulting in a comparison of seven cases.

According to Pratarn Wongsarivej, a researcher at National Nanotechnology Center, NANOTEC, “Phenol plays an important role in industrial processes as starter material. However, it is also known to be carcinogenic and possesses high stability and toxicity. It can damage skin and tissues of human and animals. It can damage the skin and tissues of human and animals. When digested, phenol-containing liquid can affect the liver, causing dark urine and irregular heartbeat. Therefore, the treatment of phenolic wastewater is of importance to environmental protection”. The degradation of aqueous phenol by simultaneously use of ozone and activade carbon or zeolite offers an environmental alternative phenol treatment.

Collaborators on this investigation included Chulalongkorn University and King Mongkut University of Technology Thonburi. The researchers reported their investigation in a paper published by Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering.

In a conventional chemical bleaching process, a large scale of chemicals is used, releasing pollution into the environment and causing numerous harmful disturbances to ecosystem. The new biobleaching process using enzymes leads to a significant reduction of chlorine and chlorine-based compounds. The xylanase attacks hemicellulose and alters the interface between the cellulose and lignin, thereby facilitates the chemical extraction of lignin from pulp. For biobleaching applications, the candidate xylanase should be alkalophilic due to the high pH of the pulp. However, treatment of pulp with the commercial xylanases at present needs a pH adjustment of the incoming pulp from 9.0-10.0 to 5.0-8.0 for its optimal activity which leads to a rise in operational cost. To address this issue, ENZbleach has been developed and optimized for pulp biobleaching without the need of pH adjustment of the pulp, which will make the large-scale operations more simple and cost effective. Moreover, ENZbleach is a cellulase-free xylanase, thus does not destroy the structure of cellulose and diminish pulp quality.

ENZbleach has been in the development by BIOTEC Enzyme Technology Laboratory, since 2008. The invention was unveiled at NSTDA Investors’ Day held on 22 September 2011, with Dr. Thidarat Nimchua, member of the research team winning the Best Presentation Award.

Enzyme Technology Laboratory actively works with industrial partners, to realize applications of enzymes in various industries. These include the use of non-starch polysaccharide hydrolyzing enzymes and phytases in the animal feed industry, the application of lignocellulolytic enzymes in biomass conversion process of agro-industrial by-products to value-added products, such as biofuels, bio-plastics and chemicals and also application of cellulolytic/hemicellulolytic enzymes in the pulp and paper industry.

NSTDA and the Royal Thai Naval Dockyard have been researching, designing and producing continuous bio-diesel producing machines whose production system uses tubular reactor technology. Using such a reactor, the system produces 2,000 liters for one machine and 20,000 liters per day for the second reactor, which is faster than a stirring type or the general batch process. The reactor designed by the research team helps to create turbulent flow mixing which allows even reactions between materials and chemicals in less time. Also, it separates glycerin from bio-diesel efficiently, giving a standardized product. Moreover, the continuous bio-diesel production system does not release polluted water because it cleans the bio-diesel output by using chemical compounds to attract the waste, which helps to lower the cost of polluted water treatment. Besides this, the system also reuses methanol which lowers the cost of chemicals used. Overall, this production system is a suitable prototype for the bio-diesel manufacturing industry.

NSTDA researchers are successful in rehabilitating saline soil field that had been used for salt farming by growing salt tolerant plants. Within three years, the salinity of the soil has been reduced to just and the land is now used to grow harvested trees and agricultural plants.

Researchers developed a method for growing rice on soil with initial salinity rate of l1.5 %, which yield 350 kg of rice/1,600m2, compared to the zero yield of traditional method of rice planting. After the salt-tolerant rice variety was grown on the land for two seasons, the salinity rate of soil has been dropped from 1.5 % to 0.8 %. The program undertaken by BIOTEC’s plant physiology and biochemistry lab and Pathumthani Rice Research Center finds that the fourth generation of the pure line salt-tolerant fragrant rice when cross-breeded with Dok Mali 105 rice, its hybrid seeds grow well on saline soil and yield productivity. The result of this agricultural development system helps farmers in saline soil areas have more productive rice fields as well as boost up their incomes.

As a result of this research, Dr. Chalermpol Kerdmanee of BIOTEC is awarded “The First Japan International Award for Young Agricultural Researchers” from the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. And his collaborative project with Pimai Salt Co.,Ltd. was prized the EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) Monitoring Award in the mining category from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment for two years running (2006 and 2007).

Through the environment cluster management program, NSTDA developed technology to produce porous material which is resistant to low temperature, made from rice husk ash and other waste materials. This material can be used in diverse industries ie: construction, aquaculture and soil-less planting. The products from this research include:

A porous material for waste water treatment - The product is as porous as 60 percent of its mass with holes from micron-to millimeter-sized. The holes provide living space for beneficial bacteria that naturally break down the excretions of aquatic animals.

Lightweight rocks - The materials are made from foam with the density of only 0.6-1.0 grams and 1-1.3 gram per cubic centimeter. They can be used in place of natural rocks for decoration or for construction that requires light weight structure. Due to its non-toxic quality, the rocks are popularly used in aquarium.

“Hortimedia” growing material – A very porous water-retentive like coconut husk, perlite or vermiculite, yet more durable. It is available in several formulae with different water retention qualities for growing various kinds of plants. The low electrical conductance of less than 0.4 mS/cm, make it suitable for hydroponics or soil-less growing systems.

The porous material for waste water treatment won the gold medal in the Protection of the Environment & Energy category from the 38th International Exhibition of Inventions held in Geneva, Switzerland.

Together with government-sector allies, NSTDA, set up Thai Green Design Network to promote the awareness of EcoDesign, or design that takes into account the environment and the economy. Thai Green Design Network will be another tool to help prevent environmental destruction and degradation and to improve the capacity of Thai industries to compete in the world economy in a sustainable way.

EcoDesign is a concept that many developed countries are now using to drive environmental management, also a process that combines economic and environmental concepts since the design stage. The concepts are pursued to services and manufacturing processes with an emphasis on reducing waste, extending durability, and increasing recycling for less harmful impact in the future.

The members of Thai Green Design Network are MTEC, Thailand Institute of Packaging Management for Sustainable Environment, the Federation of Thai Industries, Thailand Automotive Institute, the Electrical and Electronics Institute, Thailand Textile Institute, The Thailand Research Fund, and Thailand Creative & Design Center.